Dangerous Cat and Mouse

20

Chris gently closed the ajar door, plunging the storage room into darkness.

The person outside was rifling through the remaining food items on the shelves. The counter was only a few steps away from the storage room; I could hear the rustling of plastic packaging clearly.

In the darkness, we slowly felt our way to the back of the room.

We held our breath, listening to the movements outside, and carefully avoided knocking over any furniture.

Before long, I heard the sharp sound of a zipper being pulled. The person had finished scavenging.

He seemed to know the place well and didn't bother checking the storage room. His footsteps bypassed the counter and quickly disappeared out the front door of the convenience store.

Once Chris was sure the person had left, he opened the storage room door.

From the back view, it seemed to be a middle-aged man.

We followed him at a distance, careful not to be seen.

He walked briskly and entered the complex without noticing us.

Finally, he jogged into Building 51.

Chris and I exchanged a glance—this was the same building where I lived.

Was he a resident of the 5th floor or another floor's survivor?

I regretted not putting the paper back in place;

it might have given us a clue.

After waiting a while, we followed.

Entering the lobby, I immediately noticed the tightly shut fire door.

When we went downstairs, the door had been open.

A bad feeling rose in my chest. Chris tried pushing the door, but it didn't budge.

Peeking through the small gap, I saw that the double fire doors' handles were tightly bound together with wire.

"He knows we're here…" My temples throbbed, "Since when?" 

"Maybe on the way, maybe at the convenience store," Chris's expression was grim, "or maybe from the beginning." 

"You mean… he followed us to the convenience store?"

A chill ran down my spine.

This reversal of roles, turning from hunters to hunted, caught me off guard. 

"That's a possibility. Knowing we discovered him, he decided to pose as a scavenging survivor."

Chris stepped back, "Let's check the parking garage."

We headed to the underground parking lot.

But the further we went, the more uneasy I felt.

Except for Building 51, all the other underground entrances were locked from the outside with heavy wire.

"The surface exits are probably the same," Chris checked.

The wire was strong and tough; without breaking down the doors, anyone inside was practically trapped.

I finally understood the person's intention.

He wanted to trap all the survivors inside their buildings.

And we, being in the same building, were among the last to be dealt with.

Chris tried to open the underground door to Building 51 but failed.

Unlike other buildings, all exits of Building 51 were locked from the inside.

"Why trap us outside?" My mind raced, "We could open the wire on the other buildings and find a new refuge." 

"It's useless," Chris shook his head, "Without water and power, and with nearby supplies already scavenged, we wouldn't last long even with a new refuge." 

"Everything was fine last time we were here, so he completed the lockdown during Anne's isolation period."

I tried to piece together more clues.

"This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment action. Gathering this much wire, he must have planned it for a long time. But… how can he ensure no other survivors from Building 51 will open the doors from inside?" 

"If he's sure there are no other survivors, then Building 51 was likely locked down from the start. You wouldn't have known since you didn't go out."

Chris's words hit me like a revelation.

It all made sense now.

Luckily, Anne didn't come with us this time; she could help us from inside.

But according to Chris, this person was meticulous and cautious.

He could've gathered information on the number of people before acting, so why…

Wait.

No.

It doesn't make sense for him to make such a simple mistake.

I suddenly realized he didn't need to catch us all at once; he could take us down one by one.

After dealing with Chris and me, Anne, not hearing from us, would definitely come downstairs to check.

And he just needed to ambush her in the hallway, ready to strike.

So, the one in the most danger right now might not be us…

But her!